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President Trump appoints DeSantis to Council of Governors: What does this mean for Florida?

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Published  February 21, 2025 11:08am EST
Ron DeSantis
FOX 35 Orlando

The Brief

    • President Donald Trump has appointed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to the Council of Governors.
    • DeSantis joins governors from nine other states on the council.
    • The purpose of the group is to advise the White House and Department of Defense on issues related to national security, disaster responses and military coordination.

ORLANDO, Fla. - President Donald Trump has appointed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to the Council of Governors.

The White House announced the news in a press release Wednesday night. 

Who are the appointed members?

What we know:

DeSantis joins governors from nine other states on the council …

  • Governor Glenn Youngkin (VA) – Co-Chair
  • Governor Josh Stein (NC) – Co-Chair
  • Governor Ron DeSantis (FL)
  • Governor Brian Kemp (GA)
  • Governor Jeff Landry (LA)
  • Governor Wes Moore (MD)
  • Governor Gretchen Whitmer (MI)
  • Governor Kathy Hochul (NY)
  • Governor Josh Shapiro (PA)
  • Governor Henry McMaster (SC)

Whitmer is the only member reappointed by Trump. The other members are new.

What is the Council of Governors?

The backstory:

The Council of Governors was established in 2008 by the National Defense Authorization Act. However, the council wasn’t formally created until 2010, when former President Barack Obama signed an executive order to officially do so.

The Council of Governors is made up of 10 governors.

There are five governors from each party represented on the council.

The purpose of the group is to advise the White House and Department of Defense on issues related to national security, disaster responses and military coordination, according to the press release.

Governors appointed to the council are expected to meet at the call of the Secretary of Defense or the council’s co-chairs to discuss views, information and advice about what to do regarding matters such as national and state defense.

These governors are joined by key federal officials, with council meetings acting as a forum to improve state-federal partnerships.

Each member on the council is appointed to two-year terms.

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The Source: This story was written based on information shared in a press release from the White House.

Ron DeSantisPoliticsFloridaDonald J. Trump